Environmental protection is rising again in US public opinion, according to a Gallup poll conducted earlier this month. The poll results indicate that 47% of Americans say production of energy supplies should be prioritized while 44% say environmental protection should be.

Like many pollsters, Gallup states that environment has fallen below energy as a US public opinion priority in recent years. GallonDaily, with a longer memory than most pollsters, suggests that the fact that environment has remained over 40% as a public opinion priority during the entire past decade and into this decade suggests that environment has finally come of age and that a significant percentage of the public, even in the US,  consider that protecting our environment should remain a priority even during an economic downturn. In the 1980’s environment was a priority for less than 5% of the public.

The Gallup poll results are summarized in a very readable form at http://www.gallup.com/poll/153404/Americans-Split-Energy-Environment-Trade-Off.aspx?utm_source=tagrss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=syndication